One of the keys to developing early literacy skills is the ability to actively participate in handling and reading books. Through simple adaptations to commercially available books or by making customized books, all children are encouraged to participate in literacy activities. Besides books and print materials, technology adaptations with storybook software can help a child become actively involved in reading.
Customized Reading Materials
Book Holders
Very young children learn literacy skills as they explore and manipulate books; however, keeping a book in place during reading sessions may be difficult for some children. A simple adaptation can be made by placing male velcro on the back of the book so that it will attach to carpet. If the room does not have carpeting, a small carpet sample can be used to hold a book in place.
A book holder can be made out of plastic piping to elevate a book to a comfortable eye level for children, as well as hold it in place (Musselwhite & King-DeBaun, 1997). Once the book is attached to the stand, the child can look at the book and turn pages by him/herself. Storybook reading sessions can also be conducted with the book holder. This frees the adult's hands and arms to better support the child.
Book holders can be purchased commercially or made from inexpensive materials. B Independent has a variety of book holders for all populations.
To make books easier for children to manipulate, adaptations can be made for page turning. Page fluffers, made by putting a large dot of hot glue in the upper right hand corner of the page, help hold the pages of the book slightly apart so that a child can slip a hand in between the pages to turn it (Musselwhite & King-DeBaun, 1997).
Another page turning adaptation can be made with velcro. Attach a small piece of Velcro about mid-way down the page on the far right side. Attach a Velcro band around the child's hand so that he/she can touch the page and pull the page over the next one. For books which have pop-up features, small ponytail holders can be glued to the movable part of the book. Children can then pull the holder to enjoy the pop-up part of the book.
Creative Communicating has many ideas for adapting books with page turners and page fluffers in their Storytime Trick link at their website.
An idea for "Making Your Own EZ to Turn Books" appeared on Illinois Assistive Technology Project's website, Tech Connect, in their 1998 Ten Dollar Tech Ideas. JoAnn Bayer from Springfield, Illinois came up with this adaptation for herself, but it could also be applied to children's books.
These devices are designed for older people who cannot handle books. They may serve some function for young children, helping them explore books independently.
A device used by artists to enhance their drawing surface can also be used to assist young children in looking at pages in a book. Light tables are versatile classroom tools for preschool children with visual impairments.
Adaptive Writing and Drawing Materials
There is adaptive technology available for reading materials for children with visual impairments. Some examples include; Braille Embosser, Refreshable Braille Display, and Screen Reading Software.
A switch may provide a means of access to literacy activities for a young child. A switch can be attached to a tape recorder to play a recorded book. In this way the child can enjoy listening to the book and control the rate at which the pages progress. For younger children, literacy skills begin with language play. A variety of talking toys are available to encourage early language. By attaching a switch to a battery-operated toy, the child can play independently while listening to words being spoken.
The Book Worm is another option for adaptive book play. By pressing a switch, a child can listen to a favorite book being read by a parent or teacher. Each page is recorded into the device. As the page is turned, the child can press to hear the text that goes along with that page.
See the AbleNet website for more information on the Book Worm.
When choosing a switch for a child, there are many factors to consider. A discussion of switch considerations and how to assess a child's ability to use a switch can be found on the EC-TIIS website. Review the Adaptations Workshop and Technology Assessment Workshop for more information.
A switch can be used with software to provide easy access to literacy programs for young children. A variety of literacy software, including storybook programs can be used with a switch. See ITLC Online - Children's Software Workshop for a listing of programs.
Some children may benefit from a touch sensitive screen (touch screen) attached to the monitor. They can point and press what they are looking at and have it activate. See EC-TIIS Adaptations Workshop for further information on touch screens.
Another touch sensitive device that has many versatile uses for young children is the IntelliKeys. This device can take the place of the mouse or keyboard. When the IntelliKeys is used with customized software, such as IntelliPics Studio, it can also serve as a communication device. Overlays with pictures relating to communication choices can be customized for individual children.
The IntelliKeys can also be an interactive literacy tool. Overlays relating to children's favorite stories can be made and used in the classroom.
For children who cannot use a conventional mouse as input, there are several different types of devices that resemble a mouse but are adapted to meet children's needs. These are considered mouse alternatives and come in various sizes and designs. One example is the SAM Trackball from RJ Cooper.
To participate in early writing activities at the computer, children may need to use an adaptive keyboard or adaptations may need to be made to the keyboard they are currently using. Big Keys is an adaptive keyboard with large keys, four times larger than a standard keyboard. The keys may be arranged alphabetically or in QWERTY format depending on the model purchased.
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